Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Classic Rock Videos

THE CHI - LITES - Oh Girl

Vinyl Collective News

Here's the latest from Virgil at www.vinylcollective.com:

One of my favorite independent labels just sent us a big box of restocks including a handful of the Lemuria get better vinyl which is nearly out of print (alex from art of the underground is in lemuria in case you don’t know). We also got in a bunch of the AOTU 7″ series which will all soon be out of print. Get yours while you have the chance.

LEMURIA “Get Better” LP pink w/ white vinyl
ALEX KERNS “Single Series Volume 33″ 7″
ARMED WITH INTELLIGENCE / YOUNG ONES “Garbage Pickin Youth” split 7″
CHEEKY “Single Series Volume 29″ 7″
CHINESE TELEPHONES “Single Series Volume 31″ 7″
MALCOLM BAULD “Covered In Dust” LP
SCREAM HELLO “Single Series Volume 35″ 7″
THE CLOSET FAIRIES “Single Series Volume 26″ 7″
THE JETTY BOYS “Single Series Volume 34″ 7″
THE MANGES “Single Series Volume 36″ 7″
TIN ARMOR “Single Series Volume 32″ 7″

Mr. Music

I am continuing our new feature: Ask "Mr. Music." Now in its 23rd year of syndication (1986-2008), Jerry Osborne's weekly Q&A feature will be a regular post every Wednesday from now on. Be sure to stop by Jerry's site (www.jerryosborne.com) for more Mr. Music archives, record price guides, anything Elvis, buy & sell collectibles, record appraisals and much more. I thank Jerry for allowing the reprints.


DEAR JERRY: After seeing how someone put together an album of all the different versions of “High School U.S.A.,” “Louie Louie,” and “Talkin' Baseball,” it amazes me that RCA Victor never made a long-play album of Jimmie Rodgers' “Blue Yodels.”

The theme itself would have made good sense, but considering there are only a dozen or so songs — perfect for an album — makes it seem like a no-brainer idea.

I know they are all included in some multi-disc CD boxed sets, along with numerous other Rodgers' tracks, but the point is they should all be on a single record or CD.

I'm tired of waiting, so if you'll provide a complete listing I'll create my own compilation. —Arnold Kim, Milwaukee


DEAR ARNOLD: I doubt a better idea for a concept album ever existed, one that inexplicably went unfulfilled.

As you suggest, the baker's dozen of Jimmie's “Blue Yodels” would perfectly fill an LP.

And unlike “High School U.S.A.,” where all 30 tracks are essentially the same song with only slight lyrical variations, each of the 13 “Blue Yodels” is a unique piece of music.

Another bewildering slant to this story is knowing you could own the first 14 RCA Victor LPs (1952-1977) AND all eight Rounder albums (1990-1991), and still not have all 13 “Blue Yodels”!

So here they are, complete with A and B-sides, sub-titles, alternative titles, year recorded, and original Victor-Bluebird 78 rpm numbers:

Victor 21142: “Blue Yodel” (“Blue Yodel No. 1”; “T For Texas”) (1928). Flip: “Away out on the Mountain.”
Victor 21291: “Blue Yodel No. 2” (“My Lovin' Gal Lucille”)” (1928). Flip: “The Brakeman's Blues.”
Victor 21531: “Blue Yodel No. 3” (“Evening Sun Yodel”; “She's Long, She's Tall”) (1928). Flip: “Never No Mo' Blues.”
Victor 40014: “Blue Yodel No. 4” (“California Blues”) (1929). Flip: “Waiting for a Train.”
Victor 22072: “Blue Yodel No. 5” (“It's Raining Here”). Flip: “I'm Sorry We Met.”
Victor 22271: “Blue Yodel No. 6” (“Midnight Turning Day Blues”) (1930). Flip: “Yodeling Cowboy.”
Victor 22488: “Blue Yodel No. 7” (“Anniversary Blue Yodel”) (1930). Flip: “Any Old Time.”
Victor 23503: “Blue Yodel No. 8” (“Mule Skinner Blues”) (1931). Flip: “Jimmie's Mean Mama Blues.”
Victor 23580: “Blue Yodel No. 9” (“Standing on a Corner”) (1931). Flip: Looking for a New Mama.”
Victor 23696: “Blue Yodel No. 10” (“Groundhog Rootin' In My Backyard”) (1932). Flip: “Mississippi Moon.”
Victor 23796: “Blue Yodel No. 11” (“I Got a Gal”) (1929). Flip: “Sweet Mama Hurry Home Or I'll Be Gone.”
Bluebird 5942: “Blue Yodel No. 11” (“I Got a Gal”) (1929). Flip: “My Good Gal's Gone Blues.”
Victor 24456: “Blue Yodel No. 12” (“Barefoot Blues”) (1933). Flip: “Cowhand's Last Ride.”
Bluebird 5281: “Jimmie Rodgers' Last Blue Yodel” (1933). Flip: “Fifteen Years Ago Today.”

For those whose only desire is having all 13 Blue Yodels on one CD, one self-titled 20-tune collection (“Jimmie Rodgers”) plays them in order, but also adds seven other tracks: “Brakeman's Blues (Yodeling The Blues Away)”; “Train Whistle Blues”; “In the Jailhouse Now No 2”; “I'm Lonely and Blue”; “Hobo Bill's Last Ride”; “Whippin' That Old TB”; and “Waiting for a Train.”

However, for the COMPLETE collection of Jimmie Rodgers music, you'll need “The Singing Brakeman,” a lavish 1994 six-CD boxed set from Germany's Bear Family Records.

IZ ZAT SO? The first of Jimmie Rodgers' “Blue Yodels” originally came out without mention of a number. Labels showed the title as “Blue Yodel,” making no reference to the song itself, “T for Texas.”

The recording became a huge hit, selling half-a-million and creating a national sensation.

With subsequent yodels being numbered, reissues of “T for Texas” identified the earlier track as “Blue Yodel No. 1.”

Rodgers eventually earned three completely different and equally appropriate nicknames: “The Blue Yodeler”; “The Singing Brakeman”; and “The Father of Country Music.”

Apart from his many Country-based accolades, Jimmie is also known as the most original American Blues protagonist in the first half of the 20th century — an inspiration to Gene Autry and Ernest Tubb; as well as Howlin' Wolf; Muddy Waters; and Louis Armstrong.

His twang and yodels may scream Country but his compositions and song constructions are pure Beale Street Blues.

"Rockin Records" 2009 edition is now on sale- call with the code "CVR" and receive $6 off your purchase

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Music News & Notes


Black Sabbath News

NEW HEAVEN & HELL SINGLE BIBLE BLACK NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Exclusive 7" Vinyl Single Available For Record Store Day on April 18
New Album The Devil You Know Available April 28 From Rhino

LOS ANGELES -- "Bible Black," the first single from Heaven & Hell's highly anticipated new album THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, is now available for download from all digital retailers. The epic tale was one of the first songs written for the new album and finds the quartet of Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice in top form. "When you start off with a blockbuster like that, it makes the rest of the album so much easier because it gives you a benchmark to measure the other songs against," says Dio. "Bible Black" begins with Iommi on acoustic guitar behind Dio's plaintive wail before the rhythm shifts to a menacing stomp for the rest of this dark tale about a book of sinister scriptures. The song is also streaming at myspace.com/heavenandhellmusic.

A limited edition 7" vinyl single of "Bible Black" will be available exclusively for this year's Record Store Day on April 18 for a suggested list price of $5.98. The single's B-side features a live version of "Neon Knights" recorded at the band's heralded Radio City Music Hall performance in 2007. The 7" is available only at participating independent music retailers. For a full list of participating stores, visit www.recordstoreday.com.

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Bad Co Tour

Last August, Bad Company reunited for a one-off gig at the Hollywood, Florida Seminole Hard Rock Cafe and the surviving members of the group will return to that venue on June 17 to kick off a 10-date reunion tour.

Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirkes will be on the road to promote their Hard Rock Live DVD, recorded at last year's show, which will be sold at all the shows before being made widely available on August 8.

Rodgers talked to Billboard about the reunion. "It was a really good show. Both the band and the fans were on fire. Queen [Rodgers is their current lead singer] does fantastic versions of my material, but it was very authentic playing with the guys, very much the real deal, I guess."

Joining the trio of original members will be Lynn Sorenson from Rodgers' solo band and Howard Leese, formerly of Heart. The Doobie Brothers will be opening all of the shows except the final one in Atlantic City.

Rodgers did say not to expect additional shows as he will be using the rest of the year to write new material.

The tour dates:

06/19/09 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre
06/20/09 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
06/21/09 - Birmingham, AL - Downtown
06/23/09 - Raleigh, NC - Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
06/24/09 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
06/27/09 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
06/28/09 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
07/01/09 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
07/02/09 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands - Marvin Sands PAC (CMAC)
07/04/09 - Atlantic City, NJ - Resorts Atlantic City

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Hudson Recovering

Brett Hudson of the 70's group the Hudson Brothers revealed that he has been battling throad cancer for over a year and has beat it using a state-of-the-art treatment not available in the U.S. He was appearing at the NY Metro Fest for Beatles Fans with his brother Mark when he said, "On August 27, 2007, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer. My doctors told me to get my affairs in order and that I wouldn't survive six months. I proved them wrong.

"I was headed toward a morbid operation to remove my larynx when my dear friend Cher, whom I've known for 35 years, led me to a doctor in Germany, and today I don't have cancer.

"Bottom line: You go to Germany, they'll cure your cancer. You stay in America, they'll cure you if you survive the treatment."

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Beck Reissuing 1994’s “One Foot in the Grave” on April 14th

Beck will reissue his 1994 slacker folk album One Foot in the Grave on April 14th, with reportedly 16 additional songs tacked onto the original track list. The rocker’s publicists confirmed the release date, which Rock Daily noted on Amazon.com’s preorder page, which also indicates Interscope Records will handle the reissue. The LP was originally distributed by K Records and recorded before — but released after — Beck’s breakthrough major label debut Mellow Gold.

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Devo's Roots

Along with Devo’s recent reunion, founding member Jerry Casale is also working on the first draft of a band biopic.

“It’s about Devo in the sad, sad Akron days beginning in 1974. It shows the truth, which is stranger than fiction, where, against all odds, and totally whacked-out, this art band goes from being this hopeless joke everyone laughs at to synching up with the new wave and punk movements,” Casale told Flavorwire.